Edge forming device for looms



2, 1969 M. c. MOSHER 3,460,583

EDGE FORMING DEVICE FOR LOOMS Filed April 22, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR /MELVILLE c. MOSHER AT'TGRNEY Aug. 12, 1969 M. c MosHER EDGEFORMING DEVICE FOR LOOMS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 22, 1968 ATTORNEY2, 1969 M. c. MOSHER 3,460,583

EDGE FORMING DEVICE FOR LOOMS Filed April 22, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 3INVENTOR MELVILLE C. MOSHIER ATTORNEY United States Patent Office3,460,583 Patented Aug. 12, 1969 3,460,583 EDGE FORMING DEVICE FOR LOOMSMelville C. Mosher, Hopedale, Mass., assignor to Crompton & KnowlesCorporation, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Apr.22, 1968, Ser. No. 722,915 Int. Cl. D03d 13/00, 45/50 US. Cl. 139-118 8Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An edge forming device for needlelooms, which includes an edge wire at the weft insertion side of theloom for retaining the weft loops during the insertion of weft. The edgewire is moved parallel to the edge of the fabric being woven and awayfrom the fell of the fabric to release the loop after the lay reachesthe fell of the fabric. Means are also provided to vary the size of theloops.

Background of the invention This invention is an improved loop formingdevice in a needle loom in which a weft laying member inserts successiveloops of continuous weft into successive warp sheds from an outsidesupply source. The loops are interknit with previous loops by a knittingneedle at the side opposite from which the weft is inserted. Theinvention relates to a device for holding the weft loop at the side ofthe fabric from which weft is inserted and particularly when the loom isweaving elastic fabric to produce a straight uniform edge or adecorative fringe.

In the past, when it was desired to weave elastic fabric, the loops atthe weft insertion side of the fabric were held by a semi-rigid edgewire to maintain a uniform edge. This wire was attached to a harnessframe and was flexed up and down as the harnesses reciprocated to formnew warp sheds. The wire was woven into the cloth as if it were the lastwarp yarn and would be pulled out by the forward advance of the cloth.Since the wire had to be flexible enough to move up and down with theharnesses, the tension from several weft loops would have a tendency todistort the wire in a widthwise direction toward the center of thefabric. This would result in a non-uniform edge, greatly affecting theappearance of the fabric. When it was desired to produce a decorativefringe or scalloped edge which consisted of varying lengths of weftloops, a plurality of edge wires were used. These wires would be raisedand lowered in a patterned sequence to produce loops of varying lengthsfor a decorative effect. Whether the edge wires were used to produce auniform edge or a decorative edge, the constant flexing of the edge wireresulted in frequent breakage of such wires and down time for the loom.In addition, the broken wire would be likely to damage part of thefabric advancing mechanism or cause a considerable quantity of cloth tobe ruined before the break was detected.

In order to eliminate the disadvantage of the conventional edge wires,loop holding devices have been developed which are operated to engageand disengage one loop at a time. There are well-known devices in whichwires or fingers are reciprocated vertically for engaging anddisengaging single weft loops. US. Patent 3,126,920 to Libby shows anedge wire or finger which is not only reciprocated vertically to engageand disengage single weft loops but is moved toward and away from thefabric edge to produce a decorative or scalloped edge. One drawback inthis approach to loop holding is that the finger is disengaged from theloop before the weft inserting member is retracted from the shed inorder to be clear of the weft inserting member. At this point, there isinsulficient tension on the weft to hold it in position since the wefthas not been beaten in and the haresses have not crossed the warp toform a new shed. When Weaving elastic fabric, this problem isparticularly acute.

Summary of the invention The present invention eliminates all of theproblems of selvage loop retention mentioned above and produces auniform high quality selvage which can be made decorative if desired.

An object of the present invention is: to provide a movable weft loopretaining device which retains a selvage loop during a major part of aweft laying cycle to insure the production of a uniform selvage edge.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a movable edge loopretaining device which is capable of producing loops of varying lengthsfrom the edge of the fabric.

The present edge forming device includes a loop former which is in theform of a wire disposed parallel to the edge of the fabric from whichthe weft inserter enters the warp shed. The loop former is simple inconstruction and requires a very slight motion away from the fell torelease a selvage loop at the end of each weft insertion. The selvageloop can be released any time before the next loop is picked up. Theloop can therefore be dropped after the lay reaches the fell or crossingof the warp sheds to insure that the weft is firmly held in place. Sincethe loop former is disposed parallel to the edge of the fabric and movessubstantially parallel thereto to release the weft loop, the loop isable to slide along the wire as the lay beats the weft toward the fellof the fabric. No undue tension is placed on the weft loop as it slidesalong the edge wire which aids in maintaning loop uniformity. The evenloop tension, the slight motion of the edge wire, and relatively longcontact with the loop all contribute to the production of a highlyuniform selvage edge at extremely high speeds, particularly in weavingelastic fabrics.

Brief description of the drawing The invention will now be described inmore detail in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the edge forming device as it isused to form a uniform selvage on a needle loom;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the edge forming device looking in thedirection of arrow 2 in FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a schematic plan view which is similar to FIGURE 1 butshowing the position of the edge forming device as the lay approachesbeatup;

FIGURE 4 is a schematic plan view similar to FIG- URE 3, showing theposition of the loop forming device at beatup;

FIGURE 5 is a schematic plan view similar to FIG- URE 3, showing theposition of the loop forming device upon release of the selvage loop;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary plan view of the loop edge forming device ofFIGURE 1 adapted to form loops of varying length;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary plan view showing a modification for actuatingthe edge forming device; and

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary plan view of the modified device in FIGURE 7adapted to form loops of varying lengths.

Description of the preferred embodiments Referring to the drawings, thepresent invention can be applied as an attachment to existing needlelooms of the type shown, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 3,102,557,issued Sept. 3, 1963 to R. W. Gustavson et al. and designated generallyat 10.

Referring particularly to FIGURES 1 and 2, the loom 10 is partiallyshown with a lay 12 and a weft inserting member 14 which insertssuccessive loops of filling 16 into successive warp sheds formed by warpyarns 18. The filling is beaten in by the lay 12 to form a fabric 20having a fell 22. A knitting needle 24 engages the weft loop for eachweft insertion to form a knitted selvage at the far edge 26 of thefabric.

At the near edge 28 of the fabric, the edge loops are formed by an edgeforming device generally indicated by the reference character 30. Thisdevice includes a loop former in the form of a wire generally indicatedat 32 which is held in a supporting member 36 fixed to a stub shaft 38.Edge wire 32 has an outer forward portion 34 which is parallel to theedge 28 of the fabric and a rear portion 35 disposed at an angle awayand downward from edge 28. A bracket 40 supports a shaft 38 throughprojections 42 which act as bearings for the shaft 38. A toothed wheel43 is mounted on a second stub shaft 44 which is slowly rotated by apulley and belt arrangement generally indicated at 46. The belt isdriven in timed relation with the loom by speed reducing means, notshown. It is driven at such a reduced rate that the wheel 43 moves onlythe distance of one of its peripheral teeth 48 for each weft insertion.A lever 50 is fixed to shaft 38 and has a follower 52 attached to itsouter end. Follower 52 engages the wheel 43 and is reciprocated onceeach time that wheel 43 is advanced the distance of one tooth. Thisreciprocation causes shaft 38 to rock and swing support 36 and loopformer 32 in an arc. Because the shaft 38 is located below the fabric,loop former 32 is moved through an arc, indicated at 54 in FIGURE 2,having a substantial horizontal component. This enables the wire loopformer 32 to reciprocate in a substantially parallel direction withrespect to edge 28.

Referring to FIGURES l, 3, 4, and 5, the timing of the edge formingdevice 30 is such that the loop former is in a forward position whilethe weft 16 is being inserted into the warp shed as shown in FIGURE 1.The forward portion 34 is disposed slightly above the fabric and as theweft inserter begins tto enter the shed, the portion of the fillingextending from the previous shed swings rearwardly in the direction ofarrow 56 in FIGURE under the portion 34 of the edge wire which at thistime is beginning to move forwardly. As the weft inserter continues topenetrate the warp shed, the filling is swung farther rearwardly untilit strikes the rearward portion 35 of the loop former whereupon a loopis formed. This loop is cammed forwardly along portion 35 until itsreaches the forward portion 34 as shown in FIGURE 1, the loop beingindicated at 58 in that figure. As the lay approaches the fell of thefabric, the loop former begins to move rearwa'rdly as shown in FIGURE 3.As the lay pushes the filling 16 toward the fell, the loop 58 is alsopushed forwardly and slides along portion 34 during its forward motion.As the lay reaches the fell, loop 58 is still maintained on portion 34as shown in FIGURE 4. Shortly after the lay has reached the fell and theharnesses have crossed to form a new shed, the wire has moved rearwardlya suificient amount to allow the loop 58 to be released as shown inFIGURE 5. At this point, the filling is held in place so that the loop58 will be precisely formed. Since all of the loops 58 are formed inthis precise manner, the edge 28 takes on an even uniform appearance.The forward portion 34 of the loop former need not extend forwardlybeyond the fell as shown in FIGURE 1 as long as it at least reaches thefell at the end of its forward motion. The rearward motion of the formermay take place any time after the lay reaches the fell and before thenext loop is picked up as long as the loop is not dropped before the layreaches the fell.

Referring to FIGURE 6 there is shown an attachment which can be placedon the edge forming device 30 for varying the lengths of loops 58 toform a decorative or scalloped edge. This attachment is generallyindicated at 6'0 and includes a lever 62 pivoted at 64. One end of lever62 has fixed thereto, a follower 66 which engages a cam 68 fixed to androtating with stub shaft 44. The other end of lever 62 has a key 70pivoted to the under side thereof. Key 70 fits into a slot 72 of acollar 74 fixed to shaft 38. A spring 76 urges collar 74 toward theright in FIGURE 6 and maintains follower 66 in engagement with cam 68.The operating surface 78 of cam 68 can be made with any configurationwhich will produce a desired fabric edge through the formation of loops58. As follower 66 is moved toward the left in FIGURE 6, loop former 32will be moved toward the edge 28 of the fabric as shown in full lines.As follower 66 is moved toward the right in FIGURE 6, the loop formerwill be moved away from the edge 28 as shown in dotted lines. Dependingon the configuration of surface 78 of cam 68, a wide variation ofdecorative edge patterns can be achieved including scalloped or picotedges.

Referring to FIGURE 7, there is shown a modified mechanism for operatingthe loop former. The operating mechanism is generally indicated by thereference character 80 and includes a lever 82 which is pivoted at 84.One end of lever 82 is slotted at 86 to receive a pin 88 Which projectsfrom loop former 90. This former is similar to loop former 32, havingportions 34 and 45' which are comparable to portions 34 and 35respectively. Loop former 90 is not rigidly supported as former 32 butis slidingly supported in a guide member 92. The other end of lever 82is attached to a follower 94 which engages a cam 96 fixed to a shaft 98.This shaft is driven in timed relation with the loom by mechanism notshown. A spring 100 urges the follower into engagement with cam 96. Theparticular arrangement shown in FIGURE 7 moves loop former in arectilinear direction only. Cam 96 will be designed and timed so thatedge wire loop former 90 will move rearwardly and forwardly as loopformer 32.

Referring to FIGURE 8, there is shown an arrangement for varying thelength of loops 58 for use with the loop former operating mechanism 80.In this figure, the guide 92 is mounted on a vertical lever 102 which isfixed to a shaft 104. This shaft can be reciprocated by a mechanismgenerally indicated by the reference character 106 which can be exactlylike mechanism 60 as shown in FIGURE 6. Shaft 104 will move guide 92 andloop former 90 toward and away from edge 28 in the same manner as shaft38 moves support 36 and loop former 32. Since mechanism 106 has the sameelements as mechanism 60, no further description thereof should benecessary.

Having thus described the invention, it is apparent that othermechanical arrangements could be designed to operate a loo former asdescribed. Various other changes and modifications could be made bythose skilled in the art without departing from the intended scope ofthe invention as set forth in the appended claims, in which I claim:

1. In a loom including means for forming a warp shed, a weft insertingneedle for inserting successive loops of a continuous weft yarn intosuccessive warp shed from one side thereof, means for interknittingsuccessive weft loops on the other side of said warp shed to form aknitted selvage, a reciprocating lay movable toward and away from thefell of the fabric for beating in said loops, an edge forming devicecomprising:

(a) a loop former mounted on a support adjacent said one side, having aforward portion for retaining weft loops; said forward portion beingsubstantially parallel with the edge of said fabric and terminating in afreely suspended end adjacent the fabric; and

(b) means to move said loop former toward said fell into a position tointercept said weft before insertion thereof into said warp shed wherebya loop of said weft is retained by said former during weft insertion andto move said former away from said fell to release said loop of weft,after the lay reaches said fell.

2. In a loom as set forth in claim 1 wherein said support is pivoted ata point below said warp shed, thereby permitting said edge wire to movein an arcuate path.

3. In a loom as set forth in claim 1 wherein said loop former has arearward portion for guiding the weft loop at said one side toward saidforward portion; said rearward portion extending downwardly andoutwardly from said fabric edge at an angle.

4. In a loom as set forth in claim 1 wherein said moving meanscomprises:

(a) a follower operatively connected to said loop former; and

(b) a cam for actuating said follower, said cam being operated in timedrelation with said loom.

5. In a loom as set forth in claim 1 wherein said edge forming devicefurther comprises a second moving means for moving said loop formertoward and away from said one side for varying the length of the weftloops.

6. In a loom as set forth in claim 5 wherein said second moving meanscomprises:

(a) a follower operatively connected to said loop formet; and

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,369,572 2/1968 Libby 139-1953,378,039 4/1968 Vaslet 139-195 FOREIGN PATENTS 674,231 6/1952 GreatBritain.

HENRY S. JAUDON, Primary Examiner US Cl. X.R. 139195

